AMAL

In 2013, MT Space began creation on a new piece that brought together a team of culturally diverse and Indigenous artists to explore global events that shaped and are shaping our current world, including the Arab Spring, Occupy, and Idle No More movements.

Now, five years later, the spring has turned into a harsh winter. As people flee their homes creating one of the most severe refugee crises in history, and the land now called Canada becomes home to a displaced Syrian population, resurgent Indigenous communities across Turtle Island are fighting for control of their lives and lands.

Through the story of a Syrian family separated, we reflect on interconnected histories of displacement, colonization, and the imposition of artificial borders, raising the questions: what does it mean to occupy, to resist, to survive?

Directed by Majdi Bou-Matar

Text Development by Gary Kirkham

Dramaturgy by Ric Knowles 

Scenography by Andy Moro

Costume Design by Adriana Fulop 

Sound Design by Nick Storring 

Stage Management by Cody Burns 

Performed by Trevor Copp, Nicholas Cumming, Nigel Irwin, Jewels Krauss, Ahmad Meree, Nada Humsi, Gülce Oral, and Pam Patel 

Created by Majdi Bou-Matar, Gary Kirkham, Ric Knowles, Trevor Copp, Nicholas Cumming, Nigel Irwin, Jewels Krauss, Ahmad Meree, Nada Humsi, Gülce Oral, and Pam Patel 

We would also like to acknowledge the artists who helped to shape this piece through our workshops in 2013 and 2017: Tara Beagan, Ashley Bomberry, Heather Majaury, Zac Gungl, Badih AbouChakra, Tawia Ben M’Carthy, Monique Mojica, Brenda Pilatzke, Jennifer Jimenez, Alejando Valbuena, and Shelley Niro (Elder)